Although the basic function of footwear is protection of a person's feet, shoes are often viewed and purchased only with regard to fashion. For example, a person selects a particular pair of shoes to enhance and/or complement clothing worn and when the person changes clothing, since a single color and/or style of shoes will not match all colors and/or styles of clothing he/she, more often than not, must select another pair of shoes. Thus, in order to be fashionably dressed, a person must own many pairs of shoes.
Unfortunately, owning multiple pairs of shoes can be very expensive in terms of both cost and storage space. Footwear that is compatible with many styles of clothing would alleviate these disadvantages by reducing the number of pairs of shoes a person must own, thereby also freeing up storage space. An example of such footwear is shoes having interchangeable components.
The concept of footwear having interchangeable components for the purpose of fashion has long been known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,178,025 discloses a shoe having an upper that could be turned such that women can wear shoes to match their dresses without having to buy a new pair of shoes for each dress.
Typically, the first components introduced as interchangeable were the upper/vamp portions. U.S. Pat. No. 2,368,314 discloses a shoe having separable soles and uppers for transforming a sandal to a “fancy” shoe. U.S. Pat. No. 3,204,346 discloses a shoe having a single basic sole that can be used with a variety of colored uppers. U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,915 discloses a sandal having a removable vamp portion attached to the sidewall of a shoe bottom with snaps. U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,214 discloses a sandal having interchangeable vamps and soles such that many types of sandals can be created from the same basic shoe. U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,935 discloses a shoe having an interchangeable upper comprising a vamp and an insole. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2003/0233772 A1 discloses a shoe having interchangeable coverings, i.e. vamps/uppers, to alter the exterior appearance of the shoe. These coverings can be attached to the sole using snaps.
Interchangeable components other than uppers or soles have also been disclosed. U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,311 discloses a slip-on loafer-type shoe having exchangeable ornamental elements such as colored straps that fit across the front portion of the upper for altering the appearance of the shoe. U.S. Pat. No. 6,631,570 discloses a shoe having interchangeable heels with a wide range of styles and heights (low to high). U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,359 discloses an interchangeable shoe strap system including a plurality of decorative strap covers which are selectively coupable to a base strap for altering the overall appearance of the shoe. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2005/0066550 A1 discloses covers for fitting over an upper; the covers having various colors, materials, shapes and decorative surface patterns. Additionally, these shoes are disclosed as having soles in different shapes and heights.
The concept of shoes having interchangeable straps is also well-known. U.S. Pat. No. 3,902,259 discloses a sandal assembly comprising five elements, including straps, which can be individually replaced for purposes of repair or change of color combinations. U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,633 discloses a shoe comprising a sole constructed to be attached to the foot by any one of a plurality of pairs of different colored, styled, or textured straps which can be exchanged to match the clothes of the wearer. The straps are attached using ring anchors and can include jewelry ornamentation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,102 discloses a shoe having interchangeable straps attached to the sole using spring connectors. The straps are selected to be compatible with other attire with which the shoes will be worn. U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,058 discloses a shoe having multiple detachable straps that allow a wearer to change the style of the shoe as they desire. These straps can be attached to the sole using snap elements, U.S. Pat. No. 6,928,754 B2 discloses a detachable fastening for attaching straps to the sole of a shoe. The straps can be exchanged to coordinate with the clothes of the wearer. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2006/0150441 A1 discloses a shoe in which various components, such as heels and straps, are interchangeable for conversion into an array of different styles.
Although the interchangeable components of existing footwear have been used to enhance fashion by providing shoes that have alterable appearances, the aforementioned footwear does not provide for a shoe having one fastener system for attaching at least two distinct exchangeable members, such as a vamp portion and an ankle strap, to a shoe sole. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a shoe having a simple, convenient fastening system for attaching multiple interchangeable members, wherein the fastening system facilitates substantial aesthetic flexibility without affecting basic function of the shoe.